Member lines of the Association of International Shipping Lines were last week apprised of the Japan Customs requirement for advance cargo manifest.
The mandatory policy starts on March 2014 and requires operators of Japan-bound ships to electronically submit cargo information 24 hours before vessel departure from the last port of loading.
The rule follows the Japanese Diet’s (parliament) passage last March 30 of a bill amending a provision of the customs law that requires advance information from cargoes bound for Japan’s ports.
The implementation of the advance manifest will be executed using an electronic data processing system through Japan-based Nippon Automated Cargo and Port Consolidated System Inc. (NACCS), the gateway to the Japanese customs.
On June 20, NACCS signed an agreement with Philippine-based InterCommerce Network Services Inc., an accredited value-added service provider of the Bureau of Customs, designating the latter as its service provider (SP) for non-vessel operating common carriers (NVOCCs) and shipping lines in the Philippines.
Firms with Japanese agents can file through their agents while those without need to use accredited service providers such as InterCommerce, according to NACCS director for planning and global business department, Takaaki Kanrei.
A 24-hour advance manifest declaration has been implemented by the United States, the European Union, Chinese customs, recently in Israel, and other countries.
A dry run for the implementation of the AFR will be conducted in November. For more information, visit http://www.naccscenter.com/afr/, the Japan Customs website and InterCommerce (www.intercommerce.com.ph) or http://www.customs.go.jp/english/summary/advance/01.pdf.
